ICE Agent Arrested in Minneapolis Over January Shooting of Venezuelan Man

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro turned himself in to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in Minneapolis on Wednesday. He was booked into the Hennepin County jail on an outstanding state arrest warrant stemming from a January 14 confrontation.

The incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a Trump administration immigration enforcement deployment in Minneapolis. Castro shot Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg through an apartment door while children were inside the home.

“He wants his day in court.”

State prosecutors charged Castro with assault and false reporting of a crime. They allege he falsely claimed Sosa-Celis and others attacked him with a snow shovel and broom, a version contradicted by video evidence.

Castro had been released on bond from federal custody in Texas earlier this month wearing a GPS ankle monitor. He faced federal charges of making false statements to investigators about the shooting circumstances.

His attorney, Rolando Cantu, disputed prosecutors' assertions that Castro might flee to Mexico, stating his client always intended to answer the charges in Minnesota. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the arrest shows accountability efforts succeeded despite political interference.